#thread: cameron

"I'm not saying my life has gotten really sad, I'm just saying that training your dog to get the mail for you so you don't really have to get off the couch is just a handy life hack." Shrugging her shoulders, Cali tossed the crust of her last slice of pizza into the box before placing it on the coffee table. "I know it sounds really bad, but I'm not holing up here.. much. I go to work, I see my family but I'm just not getting out there at the moment."

Life hadn't been the smoothest ride for Cali over the last few months, with her sister back on the road and her relationship hanging from a thread she couldn't bring herself to stick back together and Marco's reappearance in her life, her head was full of emotions she had no way of sorting. "If you truly needed to style a Cali style intervention, I wouldn't have answered the door or paid for your pizza." Reaching out as Alba trotted over to see what was going on, she gently scratched her dog's head. "I made friends with an otter yesterday, so I'm totally fine."

Size six feet skipped through the hallway, long tresses swaying effortlessly as Lexus turned to look over her shoulder, flashing a smile at Cameron. The distance between them grew, knowing he wouldn’t dare to be caught dead skipping, she slowed her movements and stretched a hand out towards her partner in crime. Here they were again — nowhere they should be, hidden in the shadows of Thornewood’s maze of hallways.

If there was anything that Cali had learned after nearly two decades of friendship, it was when Cameron needed pulling out of his own head. Having met as teenagers with a summer romance that they now laughed about, it was a friendship that meant more to Cali than she cared to admit. Cameron was like a brother to her and after two days of unanswered texts, even though she had passed the number that was socially acceptable, she knew she had to step in.

With the afternoon off from the aquarium, Cali waltzed over to Cameron's office, dropping a muffin off at his assistant's desk to buy their silence. Strolling into his office without so much as a knock, Cali smirked over at her friend. "Hey hot stuff, please tell me you've left this office since you decided to ignore all of my extraordinarily hilarious text messages." Plopping herself into a chair on the other side of his desk to him, Cali grinned. "Your intervention has arrived, going to need you to cancel the rest of your day so you can take me out and buy all my drinks."

Nerves rattled within her, goosebumps covering her body — and not much else, she noted, as the source of her anxiety surged. Had she been given much choice? What else could she do? Cameron never asked for much, the allure of monetary possessions completely eluding him. Still, was it a gift if they both benefited from her so-called offering?

She nearly yelped as he opened the door, crimson blush setting fire to her porcelain cheeks.

The best-kept secret lies in the space between heaven and Earth. Uncovered purely by happenstance, Lexus found the intersection of mortal and mystical, breaking the iron-clad shackles of fear only to reap the rewards of inexplicable bliss. Heart beating exuberantly due to the ecstasy only this type of discovery could bring, graceful movements raced towards the stately manor of Thornewood in search of one man.

The breeze, too hot for spring but not quite humid enough for summer, left jet black locks windswept as it framed the contours of her profile. Porcelain skin sparkled with exertion, the mid-afternoon sun causing diamonds to glimmer enticingly across her body. The grazes along exposed knees and scarred palms told the tale of her adventure, specs of dirt ingrained within the open sores, but the carefree nature of the smile could be felt in the air. Her exuberance disrupted the stale atmosphere of the old building, staleness falling by the wayside as she shot up the stairs like a firework.

Mahogany orbs locked onto ocean eyes before she sprinted towards her fiance.

“Cameron,” Lexus breathed, his name the first true breath she had taken in what felt like forever. Two tattooed hands found his own, urging the 28-year-old forward, imploring him, “Come with me.”

If asked before she met him, she’d have said she preferred sunsets. Who would could resist the sun’s sweetest kiss goodbye before darkness fell? However, if asked now, she might give the same answer — it became automatic after all these years — but she’d mean sunrises. 

The counter felt cold beneath her palms, but she didn’t mind, she’d tolerate it for the view. The sun peaking through the cotton candy skies of the early morning was slowly beginning to warm her bones as, upon leaning back on her hands, brown eyes admired him slyly with a sideways glance as a blissful smile crept onto her full lips. It was the perfect combination of spring, the heat that rose to her cheeks as crystalline hues caught her in the act, and the chill seeping into her bones from the marble countertop. 

His hair was effortlessly messy — her fault, but she hardly been able to resist running her hands through the short layers. The twin dark circles under his eyes couldn’t detract from his impossible beauty, the evidence of sleep deprivation endearing instead of worrisome, knowing the stories of missing bottles of whiskey that could be mysteriously found in his bedroom would tell the tale of their sleepless night together. The muscles in his arms were accentuated by the pan handle he gripped as he flipped a pancake, both of which had caused her to lick her lips, an act that now shamed her as she watched an easy smile smooth onto his features. It was moments like these, early morning light illuminating the bashful scarlet color on her blushing cheeks and the cocky smile flashed in her direction that made her fall more in love with him day by day. All nighters made her especially nostalgic, her mind constantly returning to the night they met and kissed until dawn. 

Quickly, she tried to think of something to say so he wouldn’t call her out on her staring. “These pancakes better be something,” Lex reminded him, tone playful and light as her smile spread over her lips, “I stayed up all night for these, you know.” It couldn’t be farther from the truth, and the look on his face said he knew it, causing her grin to widen.